A HEALTH watchdog believes the Countess of Chester Hospital has retained its three star status because it is being lined up to become a Foundation hospital under a controversial government scheme.

Patients' champion Geoff Ryall-Harvey says the Countess is a good hospital but the star ratings performance system is often meaningless and open to figures being fiddled. Insiders at the NHS Trust have told The Chronicle 'We know it's fixed'.

Mr Ryall-Harvey, chief officer of Chester and Ellesmere Port Community Health Council, reckons the government does not want the Foundation Trust scheme to founder and so the hospital is likely to get an easy ride in the run up to it achieving Foundation status - a privilege only open to hospitals with the highest three star ranking in the Commission for Health Improvement league tables.

Critics, including many Labour MPs, worry the system will create a two-tier health service in which the good hospitals will swim and the poorer hospitals will sink,

Mr Ryall-Harvey said: 'They have managed to keep their three stars but I cannot help thinking that is connected with its Foundation Trust application. I know there are four Trusts out of 28 that have lost their three star status and cannot go forward.'

Mr Ryall-Harvey said the Countess' management was 'excellent at patient figures' and 'excellent at crisis management' which meant the hospital managed to tick all the relevant boxes.

He cited the example of outpatient waiting list figures for 2002/2003. For most of the year the hospital underachieved but through special initiatives earlier this year was able to meet its target. However, this juggling of resources meant another area was likely to suffer. 'It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul,' he said.

Mr Ryall-Harvey cautioned: 'They should not let themselves be blinded by the three star status. They need to really concentrate on what patients think rather than what civil servants think about them.'

The chief officer said the last Conservative government abandoned its internal market for the NHS because it was recognised as undermining the service and with these new proposals there was a danger of turning back the clock.

Mr Ryall-Harvey said the two star Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust - which helps people with mental health issues - 'seemed to be doing quite well'. Wirral Hospital NHS Trust (Arrowe Park) successfully maintained last year's three star rating. Mr Ryall-Harvey reserved particular praise for the newly-formed primary care trusts in charge of services like general practitioners - West Cheshire PCT and Ellesmere Port & Neston PCT - which were graded for the first time as three star Trusts. 'Straight out of the gate it's pretty good,' he said.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust achieved the highest three star ranking for the third consecutive year.

Chief Executive, Peter Herring, said: 'Given that new targets have been added together with higher performance standards, this achievement demonstrates our staff's dedication, hard work and focus on improving the quality of patient care and services year in, year out.'